The use of balloon catheters is prevalent in medical procedures involving blood vessels, body cavities, and the like. Balloon catheters carrying a detachable balloon portion also have been previously described and have been used extensively in the cardiovascular area. The balloon catheters may be used to occlude vessels in certain types of cardiovascular surgery or further may be used to expand a blood vessel such as in angioplasty.
Detachable balloons also have been used to treat urinary incontinence (see Haber et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,680, issued May 23, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,479, issued Feb. 7, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,393, issued Feb. 27, 1988). Haber et al. describe an extensible, inflatable containment membrane which is implanted between the urethra and the subcutaneous corpus spongiousum of a patient to overcome urinary incontinence. The containment membrane of Haber et al. is positioned using a hypodermic needle, however, the balloon does not pass through the lumen of the hypodermic needle. Haber et al. developed specialized instrumentation to accommodate the positioning and insertion of their containment membrane. Haber et al. further do not mention the use of a scope in conjunction with their device.